Automatic power coupling and cut-off



A118. 1935- L. L.VNAKASHIAN 2,010,925

AUTOMATIC POWER COUPLING AND CUT-OFF Filed June 4, 1952 towmlcetti niie :A l '2 1 f1 2 a CUT' 1"" Y (Ap lication:Jiuie eass, nast es -61536;)

The present 'invention :relates to alp ower trans mittingicoupling that 1 is" adapted to automatia cally connect rotatable driving and. drivenl'ele ments for the transmission of power ftherebetweenpafter the driving element' ha's attained its normal operating speed and to disconnect "said elementswhen thedriving element ceases to have power applied thereto.

- P ower couplings of theaboveindicated char alcter" are necessary under many conditions: of

operation, asfforex'amp1e, when-an electric? mo? toni's employed to drive 'a load requiring a heavy. starting torque considerably in excess of the 7 power rating of the motor, and the" main function 'of my coupling is'to prevent anyiappreeiable loef'd being' placed 'on' the motor until it hasatteined its normal operatingspeed. According .to. thejpresent invention, there is' provided animi-spl-DVd Coupling i which the driving" and .idriven:

1 elements; are entirely disconnected fr'om "each. other until the driving elem'enthas' been. accel erate'dto practically its-fullspeecl and theiprime mover" is developing full powers In operation; the coupling first depends upon centrifugal force dveloped by kotation or the drivingelement to impart -rotation to a floating element normally I disconnected from both the drivingand driven elefiientSHcentr-ifugalforce developed? by rotati'om'of this floating element finally" resulting in clutching" the driven element to the driving element 'a ften the" prime mover; has reached full speed; The above and other advantageous fea wires of the invention will h'ereinafter rnore 'fully appear rrem the following description With-- ref rnce 'toQthe aecompan mgrdraw ng; in which portion of t-heiparts 4 shown I in Fi largedfse'alez" v 1 on an en:

Fig? 3 is a vertical sectional view along"the llne*3'-3 of Fig. 2'; looking in -tlie direction of the mews. 'jj mg; efis e fi'agmentary" view'of a' 'portion r thefioatingeleinentQ i i Like referencecharactrs'--refer to like parts in the different figures. 1

"I f Beferring to the drawing; the driving element the inventionuisrsho'wn asicompri'sing a cylindri cal drum l; to which'is connected; a=1oad requir ingat high: starting vtozttque'. The Y drum 4: pro-r vides a; hub: portion; Ea rotatable ton a bushing '5; surrounding? the shaft. I g with anannular .flange 6' connecting the hub-14a to its surrounding i drum 4'-a'nd: beinglconc'entric therewith. in in n The driving shaft tislsur'rounded'bya sleeve 1;: secur'ed=to:the shaft: l by a) key 8,- B;f1d9if-SeC- ond sleeve: 9" is mounted fon rotationtwith the sleeve: 1 by; means "of. studs in prdjec'tingxfrbm sleeve 1 receivedzin the islets lOa in sleeve 9; with the" outersleeverfiibeingi capable of axial movement on the inner sleeve 1. 'I he sleev'esl an'dBf 'provideradial flanges H- and- I2 respectively; theoute'r, portions otythe flanges 1 llg'afid l2;.having oppositely beveled faces Ha andlza; betweenzwhichiis confineda set of balls- [3. "As best-shown in" Fig; 3; the balls l3 arevreceived in notches: M provided" around the periphery: of an annulancage I15: secured'to-the flange-l by screws-:16}: :Ilhe slevesfland 9; with the inter pose'clxballslSi and cage 15, are assembl'edas a unit; with the 2 outer; sleeve :9:= held against; re mo'val'ifrom thei-inner sleeve 'l by means cremetaining ringal 1- seeured to the-inner end 0t sleeve 9zbyscrews I8,the;ring l l being adapted to engage theends-ofythe studs lll-"in thef'slots new A second'isleeve l9 is mounted to: turnwith the shaft I by means of the' key '8 although-also adaptedfor axial movement onthe key, and a floatingi sleeve 20*is -rotatably supportedwn the sleeve l'9 by meansvof a bushing '2 The floating- :sle'eve20 providesaspaced annular flanges-22 and-123; with the flange: 22 I opposed to the flange [2 of the slidable sleeve 9, and the flange- -23 opposed to a :fiange 24 X formed" integrally-i with the: sleeve JQ thati isikeyedto the Sliaiftrlxi 1 annular: disk :25: of frictional: material-is inter posed: betwe'en'-the: flanges [2- and" 22; while: a

similar disk 26' of frictional material is inter-- posed between theflange 24- and-a pressure'plate 2 1 freeljrfmounted between 'the'fiange 23 andthe disk 2 ailthou'gh con'strained ito rotaite witlr the fidating- SIeeVeGZO by 1 means of i a'estud 2'8 thread ed into the fiang e 23. and loosely receivedi'n an lever 32 provides a cam portion 34 opposite to the weighted portion 33, and rotation of the floating sleeve 20 will cause centrifugal force to throw the weighted portions 33 of the levers 32 outwardly, and thereby cause the cam portions 34 that are in engagement with the pressure plate 21 to shift the plate bodily.

The flange 24 of the sleeve I9 on the shaft I is also opposed by the flange 6 connecting the drum ijto the hub 4a, with an annular disk 35 of frictional material betweenthese flanges. The drum 4 carries at its end opposite to the flange 6 a removable flange plate 36 secured to the drum 4 by screws 37, and a fourth annular'disk 38 of frictional material is interposed between the flange plate 36 and the outer face of the flange H on the sleeve I. The fact that the flange plate 33 is removable from the drum 4 permits thedriving shaft I, with the sleeves I and I9 assembled thereon, to be positioned within the drum l,lwith ,the disks 35 and 38 located beyond the flanges 2 3' and .I Iirespectively, assembly of the coupling being completedby securing the flange plate 33 in position; -With all the parts assembledas shown inFig. 2, and with the shaft I stationary, it is obvious that the sleeve 20 carrying the weightedllevers 32 is in effect floating freely between the fixed flange 24 on the sleeve I9 and themovable flange I2v on the sleeve 9,

z and the-manner inv which the floating sleeve 20 is first picked up by the shaft I and then caused to establish a full driving connection between the shaft I and the driven element 3 will next bedescribed. a I

-With the driving shaft I stationary, the set of balls I? are in the position shown in Fig. 2, with their peripheries engaging the opposed beveled facesIIw and I2a of the sleeves I and 9. Therefore, when the motor 2 starts, the shaft I rotates freely within thestationary drum 4, the floating sleeve 20 being stationary-also. 1 As the motor speeds up, the balls I3 tend to move.

outwardly from the shaft I, due to the centrifugal forcedeveloped by rotation of the balls with the sleeve I that islkeyedto the shaft I. 'As the balls I3 move outwardly, they exert aforceten'ding to move the slidable. sleeve 9 to the left, as viewed in Fig.2, due to the cooperation between the balls andthe beveled faces I Ia and I2a.. This shifting movement of the sleeve 9 causes its flange I2 toexert a pressure on'the surface of the frictiondisk 25 between the flange I2 and the flange 22 ofthe floating sleeve 20, so that by the time the motor approaches its full speed, the floating sleeve 20 starts to rotate with the shiftable sleeve -9. r V

- Rotation. of the sleeve causes the weighted portions 33 of' the levers 32 to move outwardly away frorn'the shaft I under the influence of centrifugal force, and the resulting turning movement of the levers 32 causes the cam portions 34. to exert a pressure on the plate 21 tending to move it in the direction of the flange 24, of the sleeve I9 that is slidably keyed to the shaft I, so that the sleeve 20 tends to rotate with the shaft driven sleeve I9, as the disk 26 takes hold. As the pressure exerted by the levers 32 on the plate 21 increases, due to increased speed of the sleeve 20, and the sleeve I9 shifts to the left under/this pressure the friction disks 35 and .38 so pressed inengagement with the flanges 6 and 36 of .thevdrum 4 finally cause rotation of the drum 4 with the shaft I atabout the time the motor2 has attained its'full speed. As a result, the drum .4 carrying, the load is not fully connected to the driving shaft I until the motor has attained a speed at which its full power is developed, which has the effect of limiting the starting current of the motor to a normal value, and of reducing strains and shocks on both the motor and the load.

Upon shutting off power to the motor 2, the resulting slowing down of the shaft I immediately results in the balls I3 tending to move inwardly toward the axis of the shaft I, while the weighted portions 33 of the levers 32 move inwardly to release the pressure of the cam portions 34 on the plate 21. As a result, the shaft I is completely disconnected from the load almost as soon as power is shut off, thereby reducing over-running of the load to a minimum.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an improved power coupling and cut-off which is entirely automatic in its operation to connect the driving element to the load, only when the prime mover has attained substantially its operating speed. I

I claim: I

1. In a device of the class described, the combination witha rotatably driven shaft, a drum, freely rotatable on said shaft and connected to a load, a pair of sleeves mounted to rotate with said shaft, with one of said sleeves capable of movement axially of the other sleeve, a floating sleeve freely mounted for rotation about the axis of said shaft and frictional clutching members disposed between opposed portions of said sleeves and said drum as well as between opposed portions of said floating sleeve and of said other:

sleeves, of members responsivev to centrifugal force developed by the rotation of said shaft for causing axial movement of one of the sleeves carried thereby to impart rotation to said floating sleeve through certain-of said clutching members, and members responsive to centrifugal force de veloped by the rotation of said floating sleeve to cause engagement of other of said clutching members to impart rotation to said drum.

2. In a device of the'class described, the com- I bination with arotatably driven shaft, a drum freelyrotatable on said shaft and connected to a load, a pair of sleeves mounted to rotate with said shaft, with one of said sleeves capable of movement axially on the other sleeve, a floating sleeve freely mounted for rotation about the axis of said shaft, and frictional clutching members disposed between opposed portions of said sleeves and said drum, as well as between opposed portions of said floating sleeve and of said other sleeves of a series of members enclosed between opposed portions of said rotatably driven sleeves for causing axial movement of one of said sleeves in response to centrifugal force developed by ro-v tation of said members with said shaft and there: by impart rotation to said floating sleeve through certain of said clutching members,;and pivotally mounted members carried by said floating sleeve and responsive to centrifugal force developed by the rotation thereof to causeengagement of other of said clutching members for imparting rotation to said drum. e I

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a rotatably driven shaft, a drum freely rotatable on said shaft and connected to a load, a pair of sleeves mounted to rotatewith said shaft, with one of said sleeves capable of movement axially of the other sleeve, a third sleeve slidably keyed to said shaft, a floating sleeve freely mounted on saidthird sleeve, and

frictional clutching members disposed between opposed portions of said sleeves and said drum,

as well as between opposed portions of said floating sleeve and of said other sleeves of members responsive to centrifugal force developed by the rotation of said shaft for causing axial movement of one of said pair of sleeves and thereby impart rotation to said floating sleeve through certain of said clutching members and members pivotally mounted on said floating sleeveresponsive to centrifugal force developed by the rotation thereof for causing engagement of other of said clutching. members between said floating sleeve and said third sleeve and between said third 5 sleeve and said drum.

LUKE LEWIS NAKASHIAN. 

